Interrelationships of identity and technology in IT assimilation

Abstract

Even as organizational literature increasingly studies the role of identity in organizations, the interrelationships of identity and technology in the context of information technology (IT) assimilation demand greater exploration, particularly in light of limitations in prior research that have prevented a full understanding of this relationship. This article aims to deepen understanding of the processes by which technology and identity co-evolve in the IT assimilation process over time. The proposed alternative framework relies on the philosophy of Michel Foucault, applied to a longitudinal, qualitative case study of a French company involved in the deployment of a geolocation technology. The analysis reveals diverse patterns of interaction among the managerial discourses used to shape technicians' ascribed identity and the identity that technicians design for themselves, which then result in distinct IT assimilation types that contribute to the further evolution of their identity.